Who made Woolworth chisels?

[Clark Magnuson]

I just worked on one with problems:
1) Bent socket
2) wrinkled socket
3) peened over socket
4) bevel ground on both sides
5) no handle

[Jim Koepke]

I see the WORTH but the WOOL seems to be missing.

There were tools branded WORTH.

Here is something from another forum (edited):


"Rumor has it they were a house brand of Bigelow & Dowse Hardware from 1925-1945." another person said "And its also rumored that pexto was the Mfg. of Worth Tools for Bigelow & Dowse".

Search > worth tool company <

jtk

[Edward Weber]

Jim got it again.
Worth was a name used by Bigelow & Dowse Co, who simply bought them from PS&W

https://www.worthpoint.com/dictionary/p/tools/american-19th-century-and-early-20th-century/bigelow-and-dowse-tools

https://archive.org/details/worth-brand-tools/mode/1up?view=theater
Worth Brand Tools were introduced in 1932, according to newspaper ads. They have been attributed to Bigelow & Dowse Co., a large Boston, MA, hardware wholesaler, and manufactured by Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co. We have been unable to find any advertising or articles from the period to confirm a connection with Bigelow & Dowse Co. They were made by Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co. as a second-quality brand and distributed by many wholesalers across the nation

From other research I've done, it seems the Worth never actually made anything themselves.
So a chisel, like the OP has, is branded Worth, made by PS&W and sold by Bigelow & Dowse Hardware.
Sometimes with these old tools you can get a double stamp. The manufacturer on one side and the hardware store brand on the other.

[Jim Koepke]

Sometimes with these old tools you can get a double stamp. The manufacturer on one side and the hardware store brand on the other.

At least two of my chisels have a double stamp. Both have a Winsted Edge Tool stamp:

506157

Sorry for the fuzzy image, didn't bother to use the tripod.

One of them is stamped Karpenter:

506155

Sorry can't find an image with what's left of the brand stamp.

The other is stamped USN:

506156

This one has since had a change of handle.

jtk

[Edward Weber]

I should say for the OP.
Worth chisels were made by Peck Stow & Wilcox (PS&W) which later became Pexto.
These are very high quality chisels of the era.

[Clark Magnuson]

Thank you all for your expertise!